The kick-off meeting of the project “Portolanes – Sustainable Development of Nautical Tourism and Enhancement of Small Ports of the Ionian Sea” will be held on 22nd May 2020, via Skype Platform.
The main objective is the preservation of marine and coastal environment that includes the natural resources which potentially interact with targeted nautical tourism activities and the protection of inland’s natural and cultural assets which are foreseen to be exploited by the cross-border tourism.
Regional Union of the Provinces of Puglia-UPI PUGLIA is the Lead Partner of the project. The Italian partner is Confcommercio Puglia, while the three Greek partners are the Ministry of Tourism, Regional Union of Municipalities of Epirus and Regional Union of Municipalities of Western Greece.
Portolanes project aims to increase the nautical tourism that is an industry of high added value with strong growth trend in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. In general, nautical tourism is more popular during summertime, but if it is properly combined with other tourism activities it will have a positive impact for local economies and for regional economic growth.
The project is expected to increase tourism potential and the level of stakeholders’ capacity in natural and cultural heritage protection, as well as to enhance the sustainable valorisation of natural and cultural resources, as growth assets.